Inferno
by truthxinxshadow
Summary: Slash. AU NO MAGIC! Harry is normal kid, with a normal life... until that night. Now his whole world is upside down and no one can save him. Can they?
1. My Inferno

There comes a time in everybody's life when they are hit with a revalation.

A thought, an enlightenment, whatever.

For most people, it comes at age 30 or so.

A midlife crisis of sorts, where they know exactly what they want do and where they want to go with there life.

Even if it's too late.

It's there, always waiting for the right time to jump out and you and knock you down.

But for some, the ones that are never normal, it comes much sooner…

Too soon even.

This is the story of just sucha person.

Me

Not an outcast, no.

I had friends, was popular, had a good life…

Perfect, some might say.

But in one night, my fragile hold on the reality I strove to create slipped and fell into nothing.

Like me.

In one night, I was gone.

Torn away from everything and everyone that held value in my sorry existence on this earth.

By _them._

Who is them?

You know.

They're everywhere.

Watching…

Waiting…

For the opportune moment for the attack.

They are vile, nasty creatures that dwell in the darkest places, looking for innocence to rip away...

lives to break...

Like mine.

I don't talk to anyone anymore.

Why?

I don't know who to trust, who will turn out like _them_.

So now I sit and merely exist.

Waiting…

Watching…

Letting this fire burn inside me.

Burn until it consumes me, takes hold.

Let it burn day and night, lighting even the darkest corner of my being.

Nothing is secret, nothing is safe.

Not anymore.

Not since _that night._

So this is my life.

My very own fire.

My Inferno.


	2. Sanctuary

Harry Potter.

Just your ordinary high-schooler.

An ordinary kid in an ordinary world.

He did well in school, got straight A's, and he was good at everything he tried.

But that was _before._

Before any of this began.

Before he had taken refuge inside himself, refusing to part of this world that had so wronged him.

Now he was a victim of fate.

He didn't talk… except for the occasional _um…_

He didn't look at people if he could help it.

And he didn't eat.

In fear of the people he had known finding out, he had switched schools.

Today was his first day.

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Harry walked slowly to his locker, not wanting to be in the crowds of students milling around.

They might touch him.

He got to his locker and pulled out the paper they'd given him with his locker combination on it.

He turned the knob to the numbers and then opened it.

Empty.

Like him.

He put his bag in it and got the books he needed.

Just then a kid about his age walked over.

He began to open the locker next to his and Harry jumped.

He didn't like being around people.

"Hey," the kid began. "You must be the new kid. My name's Blaise."

He held out his hand but Harry didn't… couldn't… shake it, _touch_ it…

So he pretended like he didn't see it.

He grabbed another book with sweaty hands, the title reading _Of Mice and Men._

It was the book he had to read for English, though he had read it already, at his old school.

Before.

He shivered slightly and put the book with the others under his other arm.

"So… what's your name?" the boy asked, putting his hand down.

_Talk!_ Harry commanded himself.

"Um…" his throat was dry and his lips were cracked. "H-harry."

"Well, Um Harry, like I said, I'm Blaise. Let me see your schedule, see if we have some classes together or something."

Harry wordlessly handed him his schedule.

"Hmmm… let's see… Lunch… P.E. … Math… and Art!" Blaise said.

"And… you've got like, all your classes with my buddy Drake. His real name's Draco though, weird, I know, so I call him Drake."

"Um…"

Harry just wanted to get away, go somewhere quiet…

Alone.

"Well, you've got 5 minutes till your English class. It's in that hallway," he pointed, " First door on the right. See you!"

Harry trudged to his class, dreading it more and more.

That guy had been nice though, and these people didn't know.

And not knowing was a good thing.

He sat down in the back where no one else was sitting.

As the bell rung, a kid with blonde hair came and sat next to him.

"Hello," he said. "You must be Harry, I'm Draco. Blaise told me about you."

Draco kept talking, but Harry couldn't hear him.

He was staring at Draco's hair.

Blonde.

Like… _his._

Harry shivered and started to sweat as the memories rushed forth, like a dam breaking inside his head.

He was trembling now, trying in vain to crush the memories back down, force them away.

But he couldn't.

They were always there…

Watching…

Waiting…

And then they would strike.

He vaguely heard Draco calling his name, felt the whole room's eyes on him.

He heard a rushing in his ears, voices whispering to him, voices that no one else could hear.

He didn't even feel it as his body hit the floor, and was consumed by blackness, only lighted by his fire.

His sanctuary.

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A/N: In case you haven't figured it out yet, Harry was raped. You'll find out the details later.

This story is dedicated to the book and the author that inspired me to write this. I'm going to write some fanfics about the book if they put it up as a category. I e-mailed them.

The book is Target by **Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson **and it is a must read for anyone who likes those angsty 'Harry gets raped' stories.

It's about Grady, a guy who gets raped when he's 16 by two strangers. He stops talking and retreats into himself, closing off all his friends.

It's very good. I couldn't put it down. It is a MUST READ! You will love it if you like this story! This is based largely on that book, but will become drastically different. The stuff in that story just sets all this up.

Thank you.

-truthxinxshadow-

P.S. I promise to be a good girl and update Drowning next. I just had to write this :P


	3. On the Edge of Nowhere

**_Chapter: On The Edge of Nowhere_**

Harry awoke the next morning with a jolt. _Where in the hell am I? _Was his first thought. The last thing he remembered, he had been in school... _OH shit!_He remembered passing out when he saw that kid... what was his name again... oh yeah, Draco. He had passed out when he saw Draco.

_Crap! He probably hates me now! I would... why do I have to be so goddam WEAK? I hate myself sometimes... _

He got up and noticed where he was... his own room. _They must have brought me home at some point. I wonder why I was out so long?_He went down the stairs and into the kitchen. His mother was standing at the counter and his father was sitting at the table. "How you feeling kiddo?" his father asked upon seeing him. "... Fine. You?"

"Ugh. I need my coffee." Harry chuckled a little. His dad had a way of always being able to say the right things to cheer him up when he needed it. "What time is it?" he asked, noticing the sun was up. "It's about 7:45 dear," his mother, Lily, answered. "But don't worry, you're not going to school today. I decided to let you have some rest." At the mention of school, Harry looked down at the floor and felt color rise to his cheeks. God it was embarrassing!

James noticed this and got up, going to his son. He grabbed Harry's chin, noticing the flinch, and brought his face up so their eyes were even with each other. "Harry, what happened is not your fault. It's not like you did it on purpose. So just try not to think about it, k?"

"Sure..." Harry mumbled. "Uh... I'll be up in my room." With that Harry bolted up the stairs back to his room. James sighed and sat back down. "I'll never understand that kid. Why does parenting have to be so hard?"

"Well, you know it's harder for him after what happened. Who wouldn't after going through something like that? I just wish it wasn't our son. He's such a good kid! Why would someone do that to him?" By the end of her little speech, Lily was practically yelling.

James went over and wrapped his arms around his wife. "He'll get better." he said into her hair. "He's already making progress. I think he talked more to us this morning than he has since it happened. He's a fighter. He'll pull through this." he said.

"I know he is. But there's only so much a person can take before they break. I just hope he isn't there yet. I have a feeling he is though," Lily told her husband, detaching herself and looking at her son's closed bedroom door. "If he is, we're going to have to be here for him a lot James. We can't let him go through this alone."

"I know, and for the record, I hope he's not either."

-------

Meanwhile, up in his room, Harry was sitting in his window seat watching the people on the street, probably going to school or work, and just wishing that for once, he could be normal. He had surprised himself this morning with all the talking he had done to his parents and it had actually made him feel better. He decided he needed to talk more often.

He was just getting down when a certain person caught his eye. It was Draco, walking down the street with... Blaise. They were chatting with each other, and then, at that moment, Draco decided to look up, catching sight of Harry in the window. He nudged Blaise and they both looked up. Blaise saw Harry and waved, motioning for him to come down.

Harry hesitated, should he talk to them? He had talked to his parents, and it made him feel good. And besides, he wanted to apologize to Draco anyway. He shouldn't have freaked like that. He made his way down stairs. His dad was hugging his mom in the kitchen. "Ahem," he cleared his throat loudly. "Um, I made some, uh, n-new friends at school, and, I w-wanted-umm-they're outside and," he mentally kicked himself for stumbling over his words. "Umm, can I go talk to them?"

His parents exchanged a look. Harry wanted to talk to other people? "Sure hon, but don't go anywhere." Lily answered. "K, thanks!" Harry ran outside to where Draco and Blaise were standing. "Umm.. hi?" he said nervously. "Hey there Harry! We just wanted to know if you where ok. You took a nasty spill yesterday. Everyone said it was scary-"

"It was scary! One minute you were staring at me, and the next-BAM! You were on the floor! You hit your head really hard. They said you had a fever and probably a concussion as well." Draco rambled. "We get it Draco. God, let the man speak and shut your trap for once!"

Harry giggled a little. These two had obviously been friends for a while. "I'm fine. I didn't even wake up 'till this morning and I had no clue where I was, but other than being a little freaked out, I was back to normal." _If I__'__m considered normal_ was left unsaid.

"Well that's good to hear. You're probably not coming to school today, so, you wanna do something with us after we get out of school?" Blaise asked. Draco glared at him a little from where he was, but Harry didn't notice. He was too busy trying to keep his breathing steady and not stutter what he was going to say. "Uh... n-no. My m-mom said that I -uh-can't go anywhere, uh, today. Maybe... maybe some other time." _DAMN!_

"Well... ok, if you're sure... Listen, are you sure you're alright?"

"Uh, yeah, well, I-um- I have to go. See ya!" Then Harry ran back into the house, waving over his shoulder.

"Wow, that kid goes through emotions faster than you talk!" Blaise exclaimed.

"Hey! I resent that remark! And why'd you go and invite him out with us?"

"Why shouldn't I have?" Blaise inquired.

"Two reasons: One: Something is wrong is him. Can't you tell? He doesn't like to be around people all that much. And two: Well," here he mumbled something that Blaise couldn't quite catch. "What was that, Dray? I couldn't here you there."

"I said because... I like him. I mean, LIKE like him. He's cute. No, he's adorable. Not in the little kid way either. So, yeah.."

"So, why shouldn't I invite him with us if you like him?"

"Because! I don't want to scare him off! It'd be really hard not to flirt with him and stuff, and you've seen how he is around people, especially me! I mean, he passed out the first time he saw me for crying out loud!"

"Dray, take a deep breath." he pulled Draco along and started walking again. "Like you said, there's something wrong with him. It wasn't you. I don't know about you, but I want to find out what it is. I like him too, just not like that. I want to help him, be his friend."

"Good. Then we will help him. And I'll just have to win his heart in the process." Blaise just rolled his eyes at his friend and kept walking. But he couldn't help thinking that maybe it was just what Harry needed.

Harry ran inside the house, and seeing his mother on the couch, ran up to her and curled up next to her. Lily wrapped her arms around her son and held him close, listening to his harsh breathing and trying to sooth him. James came in, but saw Harry and walked right back out again. Lily silently thanked her husband. Harry didn't do well with grown men at times like this, and James knew that it wasn't him, so he didn't mind.

After a while, she noticed his breathing return to normal and his body relax. "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked her son. "They didn't do anything mom, so don't think that." Harry said quietly. Lily was glad to know that Harry's new friends hadn't hurt them. "They were really nice. Draco said that everyone in my class was really worried. He freaked out about it," Lily noticed that he said this with a soft, shy smile on his face. Lily smiled to herself, having a feeling about what her son felt for this boy.

At this point James had come back in and sat next to Harry, wrapping him a hug. This earned a small flinch from Harry but a moment later he leaned against his father. "It was just that-they-well... they asked me to go out with them. I know that's not a bad thing, but... all the people... and..."

"Shhh... it's ok kid. You don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to. You know that." James said softly to his son. "Listen, why don't you go take a nap, and we'll invite Sirius and Remus over for lunch. How does that sound?" asked Lily. "Hmmm... sounds good," said Harry. He really was tired. He was jerked from when his father picked him up though. "Hey!" he protested.

"Ha ha! Got ya!" yelled James while swinging Harry around. Harry wrapped his arms around his father's neck in an attempt to not fall. Lily smiled at James antics. He was good at cheering Harry up, which was just what he needed right now.

James eventually carried Harry upstairs, not coming down until his son was asleep. He climbed down the stairs quietly as to not wake Harry up. When he got to the bottom, he was greeted with a hug. "Thank you for making your son feel better. I knew there was a reason I kept you around." she joked.

"I feel so loved," James pouted. "You know I love you." Lily said, giving him a kiss on the mouth. "But on to more pressing matters," she ignored James' pretend hurt look.

"I think our son has a crush."


	4. Mice and Men

Chapter 4: Mice and Men

"Crush? What are you talking about? Who would Harry like..." James trailed off and realization dawned on his face. "That boy that Harry was talking to? The blonde one? Wait a minute... you think our son is gay?" James asked with wide eyes.

"Well, he could be, or he could be like your dear friends and 'swim in both waters,' if you get my 'drift.'" said Lily with a smirk. "Oh Lily, that was corny." groaned James. "I think you've been spending to much time with said 'dear friends'... mainly Sirius."

"You think so, huh? Speaking of them, we told we'd invite them over for lunch. They'll be ecstatic that Harry wants them over here. He hasn't spent much time with them since... you know." James wrapped his arms around his wife, who was looking wistfully up at Harry's room. "I know darling. At least we know he's getting better. He's talking, he's made new friends, and he actually wants to males to come over to eat with him. He's improving. Before he would have hyperventilated at the thought of any of those things. He's a fighter. He'll be fine."

"I know... I'm just worried about him. Sometimes I feel like... locking him away and never letting him out of this house, where I can always watch him and make sure nothing ever happens to him again. I mean, look where just walking home from a friends house got him. I never thought that something so... horrible could happen to our sweet son. He never did anything to deserve this."

James hugged his wife again, burying his face in her hair. "I know. I was shocked too. But sometimes, things like this happen for a reason. He come out of this stronger than he was before. I mean, he's always been shy. Just not so painfully so. Maybe... this will help him get over that."

"Maybe... I hope so. I don't think I could stand it if anything else happened to our son. I hope he gets better soon."

"Me too, baby, me too."

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Later that afternoon found the Potters', Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin seated at the kitchen table eating lunch. Sirius had been over-joyed that his godson had said yes to him coming over, and after grabbing Remus, had come over right away.

They had both had the shock of their lives when Harry actually _hugged _them when they came in. He had flinched something horrible when Sirius had hugged back, but he was trying. Sirius felt happier than he had since it had happened.

"So, Harry, James tells me you made two new friends. What are their names?" he asked his godson. Harry blushed a bit, which made everyone laugh a bit, softly of course. "Um... there's Blaise. His locker's right next to mine... and D-Draco. He's Blaise's friend... he's blonde." he added as an after-thought.

Everyone shared a look. It was a known fact that one of Harry's abductors, and later rapist, was blonde. That's _all _they knew though. That one was a blonde and the other was a red-head. It had dark at the time, so Harry hadn't been able to see their faces. After that, they had either kept it dark, or Harry had been unconscious.

Lily looked back at her son, who had a far away look in his eyes. Lily knew he too was remembering what had happened. Before he could to far into the still fresh memories and work himself up, she reached over and squeezed his shoulder. He flinched away from a moment and she noticed that a wild look had come into his glazed green eyes. After a moment, the look disappeared and looked down at the table. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It's okay sweetheart. Why don't you finish your lunch?" she suggested, gesturing at his unfinished turkey sandwich (A/N: Yum:O)

"I'm... n-not hungry." he whispered. Everyone present could see the trembling of his hands. Lily sighed and pushed the sandwich away, then pulled her son to her and hugged him. He had his head buried in her shoulder, and she could feel her shirt getting wet from his tears. She ran her fingers through his black hair, whispering to him that it would be alright.

The three men at the table looked heart-broken. Lunch had been going along great up until now. They had almost thought that, just maybe, things were finally getting back to normal. They would have to keep wishing and praying. With only a little less than a month since the accident, Harry was still far from normal. They all knew in their hearts that Harry would never truly be normal again, but he could still get better than this. Harry didn't need all these small reminders of what had happened, little things to open back up the part of his mind that he was desperately trying to close.

James got up and knelt down next to his son. "Hey kid, how 'bout we watch a movie or something. How does that sound?" Harry sniffed and turned his head so that he was looking at his father but still lying against his mother. He wiped his eyes a bit and nodded. "Okay," he said softly. "Okay, come on then," and then for the second time that day James picked up his abnormally small son and carried him into the living room for a movie and much needed relaxation.

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Harry woke up the next morning at 7:00. He groaned at how early it was but he knew he had to go to school. He couldn't miss another day after just starting. He got up and dragged himself to his closet, grabbing a dark blue long sleeved shirt and a pair of loose fitting faded blue-jeans. He pulled them on and went downstairs, where his mother was making breakfast.

"Hey sweetheart," she said, leaning over and giving him a hug. "Hi mom," he yawned. She smiled at him and put a plate of eggs in front of his spot at the table. "Eat up. You're father's taking you today and he's leaving in twenty minutes." she told him, getting eggs for herself and sitting next to him. "Okay." Harry said and proceeded to eat his eggs. He loved times like this, when things seemed... normal.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was in his father's blue Corvette heading to school. "Hey," his father said, "you match my car today!" Harry rolled his eyes but smiled at his father. "Yes, you know how I like to dress according to the color of your car. Oh how it thrills me." His father laughed and ruffled his hair. "Hey!" Harry yelled, "You of all people should know how hard it is to get my hair right! You're the one that gave it to me!" Harry was looking in the mirror trying to flatten his hair while James just laughed. "Yes, it was my evil scheme. Even before you were born I was plotting against you."

"Well that's obvious." said Harry. They pulled up in front of the school Harry now attended and James stopped the car. "Now," James said, "if anyone gives you trouble, just let me know and I'll..."

"Dad!" yelled Harry. He gave his father an exasperated look when he saw that Jameswas only half joking. "Okay, okay," said James. He leaned over and gave Harry a hug, placing a kiss on top of his head. "Have a good day and I'll see you when I get home, which should be around five." Harry hugged James back and grinned. "Okay, see you later!" With that, Harry jumped out the car and went into the building. James watched him go in before smiling slightly to himself and driving away.

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Harry got to English class with plenty of time to spare so he sat there, flipping through Of Mice and Men and just thinking; thinking of his life and the turn it had taken. Things had been so perfect before. He'd had everything he could have ever wanted before. He'd had friends, good friends. He smiled as he remembered his two best friends; Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They had done everything together, gone everywhere together. They never kept anything from one another. Until now.

There were times when Harry considered going to them and explaining that he was alright, at least as alright as could be expected. But then he always had second thoughts. What if they didn't understand? What if they thought he was just being stupid, or, even worse, _lying_ about it. He just couldn't deal with it if they did that to him. So he decided every time that not going and not knowing was better. For everyone.

He got out his song book and looked at the lyrics he had written one day when he was feeling really low. When he had known, he still did, what he needed. He just didn't know how to get that.

_I__'__ve given up, I__'__m giving up slowly_

_I__'__m blending in so you won__'__t even know me_

_Apart from this whole world that shares my fate_

_This one last call that you mentioned,_

_Is my one last shot at redemption_

_Because I know to live you must give your life away._

_And I__'__ve been housing all this doubt and insecurity_

_And I__'__ve been locked inside that house_

_All the while you hold the key_

_And I__'__ve dying to get out and that might be the death of me._

_And even though there__'__s no way of knowing where to go_

_Promise I__'__m going because_

_I gotta get outta here_

_I__'__m stuck inside this rut I fell into by mistake._

_I gotta get outta here_

_And I__'__m begging you, I__'__m begging you, _

_I__'__m begging you to be my escape._

_I__'__m giving up and I__'__m doing this alone now_

_Cause I__'__ve failed and I__'__m ready to be shown how_

_He__'__s told me the way and I__'__m trying to get there_

_And this life sentence that I__'__m serving_

_I admit that I__'__m every bit deserving_

_But the beauty of grace is that it makes_

_Life not fair_

He closed the notebook as other kids started filing into the classroom. He looked back at the book in his hand. John Steinbeck really knew what he was talking about when he wrote it. What with Lenny's dream and George's dream. Harry knew that there was a Lenny and George in everyone. He just didn't know which one he was. He hoped that he didn't end up like Lenny.

The bell rang and everyone sat down in the desks. He felt someone poke him and looked over, seeing Draco sitting next to him and smiling. He smiled a little back, glad that he had made a friend. He was also glad he had gotten over the hair thing. That had been highly embarrassing.

The teacher walked to the front of the class and he turned his attention to her. She cleared her throat and smiled at them. "Okay now," she started. "We're getting to the end of the book, but before we find out what happens then, I want you all to do a little paper." Groans filled the room but Harry ignored them. He smile a bit, knowing why the teacher had said _before we find out what happens._ She didn't want them to know yet what Steinbeck was implying about human nature and the dreams everyone harbored. That they don't usually come true...

"What I want you to do is make a list of your hopes and your dreams. Then pick the one that is most important to you and write a short essay about that and then link it to either George or Lenny, you pick. Which one does it relate to more? It is due on Monday. Get busy."

Harry pulled out a piece of paper and began his list:

**1) Get famous. **He didn't know about that one. Could he handle all the people? He was a fairly good singer and could play the guitar well. Who knew what could happen.

**2) Go to college. **That one was a duh in Harry's opinion.

**3) **...

The list went on from there. At the desk next to Harry's, Draco was having some trouble. He hadn't got past_ get a boyfriend._ He knew who he wanted, but he wasn't gonna write that in case the teacher or someone else saw it. He looked over at Harry and saw that he was staring at his list. Draco saw that he had seven on his. He leaned over a little and saw the last two on Harry's list:

**6) Be normal.**

**7) Get over it.**


	5. Did Me Some Talking to the Sun

Chapter 5: Did Me Some Talking To the Sun

By the time class was over, Harry still only had seven on his list. He hadn't been able to think of anything else, and he had no idea which one he would write about for the essay. At the desk next to him, Draco only had five on his list. He too had no idea what to write about. Ah the joys of high school writing assignments.

Harry stuffed his paper into his notebook and grabbed his stuff as the bell rang for class to end. He was getting up to leave when Draco stopped him. "So, what class do you have next?" The blonde-haired boy asked him. "Umm…" Harry dug out his schedule and took a look, "It looks like I have Algebra 2 next."

"Ah, the gifted class. Blaise is in that class as well. Don't let him infect you with his 'I'm so smart' thing he has going. If he gives you any trouble, just let me know and I'll… take care of him." Draco wagged his eyebrows up and down and cracked his knuckles to illustrate his point.

Harry laughed at him, a sound which Draco thought was the best thing he'd ever heard, other than Harry's voice of course. "I'll make sure to do that." Harry said. "Well, see ya later Harry!" Draco called as he made it to his next class. "Yeah… see ya." Harry said softly, knowing Draco couldn't hear him.

He sighed and made his way to his locker to get his math book. He was glad he'd made friends with Draco and Blaise, but sometimes when he looked at Draco… he wished they could be more. He told himself it was silly. Draco probably wasn't even gay, and if he was, why would he like a scrawny, screwed up kid like Harry? And besides, they'd just met. What if Draco decided he hated him when they really got to know each other?

But his biggest problem by far was that he just wasn't ready. Even if he did get into some sort of relationship, with anybody, Harry knew that he wouldn't be able to _do _anything. He'd just remember what happened _that night_ and back off. He didn't want to put anyone through that. Why would anyone want to be with him when he would get scared whenever they did _anything_?

Harry sighed again and began walking to his class once he'd gotten his book. He was already late, but he was a new student, so they wouldn't be mad at him. He didn't even know where his class was. He grabbed his schedule and looked at the room number. He was going the wrong way. He turned around, and, after walking up three flights of stairs and two hallways, found his classroom. This was going to be a long day…

Harry walked tiredly to lunch after forth period was over. The day was only half over and he already felt exhausted. He grabbed a tray and began to put food on it, only getting a little since he wasn't very hungry. He really didn't feel like eating at all, but if his parents found out he wasn't eating, they'd kill him. So better to be safe then sorry.

He paid for his food and looked around at all the people at the tables. He could feel his hands getting sweaty and his heart beating faster. He hated being around so many people. He was naturally a very shy person, and that just got worse after the incident, as he'd come to call it.

"Harry!" he heard someone yell. He looked around, wondering if they were yelling at him or some other Harry, when he Draco waving at him and standing by a door, gesturing for him to come along. Harry took a deep breath and walked to where Draco was waiting, trying to ignore all the people.

He got to where Draco was standing and gave him a small smile. Draco smiled back.

"Hey, come eat out here with us," he said. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they walked through the door. They were outside. There were tables set up on the small patio, and not many people were there. And not many people was good.

Draco noticed Harry's small sigh of relief but decided not to mention it. He led Harry to one of the small tables where Blaise and Pansy were already sitting. He sat down and smiled to himself when Harry sat down next to him. Pansy looked at Harry and then at Draco, raising an eyebrow at him. Draco just gave her a look, and she looked away, slightly smiling. Harry didn't notice any of it.

"So," Pansy began. "You must be Harry. I'm Pansy Parkinson." Harry shook her hand and looked amused. "Yes," she said, catching on, " I too believe my parents were both on crack when they named me, but hey, what can you do?" Harry laughed softly. "Draco and Blaise will not shut up about you, so it's nice to finely meet you myself." She went on. Harry blushed and looked down. Draco thought it was adorable, as did Blaise and Pansy, though not in quite the same way.

"So, uh, you doing anything after school today?" Draco asked, effectively changing the subject. "Um… nothing exciting. Just, you know… uh-homework and…stuff." Harry said, blushing again. "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to, perhaps, go to the library with me. If you want, we could work on our English essay or something. I could use some help with mine." Draco asked, praying Harry would say yes. Then maybe he could get to the bottom of the mystery that was Harry.

"Oh, well, um…. Okay. I get have to-uh- call my parents." Harry said, looking down. He knew his parents would be ecstatic, him getting out of the house and all. "Sounds great!" said Draco. "How about we meet at your locker after school? You could use my cell phone and I could drive us."

"You have a car?" Harry asked, shocked. "Well yeah. My parents are filthy rich so they bought it when I was like, 5 or something. It's crazy, I know, but that's my parents… well, it's more my father. My mother just does anything he says to do." Harry noticed a trace of bitterness in his voice. "What do your parents do?" he asked.

"Well, my mum doesn't do anything. Just stays at home planning parties and such. And not the good kind of parties either. The kind where all the guests are also filthy rich and nobody talks to any one else because they think they're too good to talk to anyone. My father owns some sort of business. He never actually does anything. Just sits around and listens to other people run the business while he gets all the money. What do _your _parents do?" he asked, ending the conversation about his parents.

"Well, my mum's an interior designer. She designs all sorts of people's houses. It's really cool. My dad's a professor at some university around here. He only has one or two classes a day but they still pay him a lot of money. He works with my godfather." said Harry.

"Oh really, that sounds like fun! I've always wanted to be a teacher!" said Pansy. "What does he teach?" she asked. "Umm.. Some ancient history class. My dad's a major history buff. My godfather teaches English up there." Harry told them. "What's your godfather's name?" asked Blaise. "Sirius Black. Why?"

"I knew it!" said Blaise. "He went to school with my father. So I'm guessing your dad is James Potter." Harry nodded. "Do you know Remus Lupin? My father always complains about them. He says they were inseparable in school. He hated them, no offense."

Harry just laughed. "None taken. I've heard their stories. They weren't the nicest bunch during school. And yes, I know Remus. He's Siri's… partner." he said with a smile. "Partner?" asked Draco. "Well, yes." said Harry. "They _are_ both gay and all. I don't know what else I would call them."

Blaise laughed. "Well that's good. Means you don't have anything against homosexuality. That's a good thing considering our Draco here is as queer as they come. Not that his parents know that." he said with a smirk. "Shut up." Draco said, though he was smiling.

Harry started. "You're gay Draco?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Yep," replied Draco. "I don't think I've ever liked girls. I used to think I did just because of my parents. My dad has a thing against being queer." he said with a slight smile.

"My dad used to, when he was younger," Harry told them. "But then he found out that his two best friends were gay, _with each other,_ and he thought about it and decided it was fine. Which is good, because I still don't know what my sexuality is." Harry was surprised he said that last part, he didn't usually like to open up to people that much. Weird.

"How can you not know?" asked Blaise, raising an eyebrow. "Well," Harry started, "sometimes when I look at a girl I'm like, 'ewww gross' and when I look at a guy I'm attracted, other times it's the other way around. So I really don't know. Who knows, maybe I'm bi. I guess I'll find out sooner or later. I've never been in a relationship, so I wouldn't know from experience."

"You've _never _been in a relationship?" asked Pansy. "That's insane! You're one weird kid Harry Potter." she told him. Then she winked at him. "But I think you're kinda cute." They all laughed when Harry blushed at her comment. "I'm not weird." he said after a moment. "You're all just jealous."

"Riiiiight. Whatever you say Harry." said Draco. Harry knew he was joking by the way he was smiling. What Harry didn't know was the real reason Draco was smiling. Draco knew he wanted Harry know. And not because he wanted to _do _anything with him. Harry was too cute in Draco's mind. He just screamed innocence. That might have been because he _was _completely innocent. He'd never even been in a relationship! Draco would just have to change that.

Harry seemed almost too good to be true. Well except for the minor detail that he seemed kind of anti-social. Draco knew that something was going on with the dark haired boy, and he really wanted to find out. Not because he was noisy or anything (which he was), but mainly because he wanted to help Harry. And maybe get in his pants. But really, who wouldn't?

Draco looked over at Harry again and saw he was wearing that shy, criminally cute smile again and his resolve hardened. Draco Malfoy wanted Harry Potter.

And Malfoy's get what they want. And that's a fact.

By the time school was over Harry was in the best mood he'd been in since 'the incident.' He had new friends, he had good classes, he was even going somewhere after school. He'd already called his mum, and she'd been thrilled that he wanted to go somewhere. She was worried though. She told him to be careful and stick with Draco at all times, and come straight home if he saw anything out of the ordinary around him. His two kidnappers had never been caught…

While Harry was worried as well, he was more excited. He did like Draco, and he had been very happy that the other boy wanted to go somewhere with him. Now that he knew Draco was gay, he had a feeling that the other boy had a crush on him, and while he did have a crush on Draco, he didn't feel ready for anything between them. Maybe someday he would, if Draco would wait that long, a thought which worried Harry a lot. What if Draco got tired of waiting and just got a different boyfriend?

He was pulled out of his thoughts as said boy came up to his locker. "Hello," said Harry. "I already called my mum, and she said it was fine." he said as he got his book bag and shut his locker. "Well, that's good. Shall we go then?" Draco asked while getting out his keys.

"Sure thing," said Harry. They went out and Draco led the way to his car. "Holy crap!" Harry said as they got to it. "This is an awesome car." Draco smiled. "I know. I love my car. When they first showed it to me I couldn't wait till I got my license." They got in and buckled up.

"I don't even have my permit yet," said Harry, pouting a little. Draco had to tear his eyes away from him and focus on driving, Harry's bottom lip hanging out like that was very distracting. "I'm sure you'll get it soon," he said, watching Harry out of the corner of his eye.

They pulled up to the library, and right as Harry was about to get out, another car pulled up right beside them, nearly taking off the door. Harry yelped and pulled the door shut. "You okay there Harry?" Draco asked, smiling at him. "Yeah, that just scared me." The car next to them was dark green and had heavily tinted windows, so that you couldn't see inside of it. No one got out.

A little freaked out, Harry climbed over and got out Draco's door, ignoring the raised eyebrow he got in response. "Okay, so you wanted help with your English essay?" Harry asked as they walked inside. "Yep," Draco replied. "That and spending time with you." Draco smiled again as he got to Harry's blush for the third time that day.

Just as they got to the door, a young man with fiery red hair came out, accompanied by a girl with bushy brown hair. The two teenagers stopped in their tracks, as did Harry. After a few minutes of staring, in which Draco stepped slightly closer to Harry, the red-haired boy seemed to snap out of it, stepping up to Harry in shock. "Harry?" he asked with a slightly dazed expression. "Is that you?"


	6. With Truth on the Shores of Confession

Excuses at bottom. Please read the chapter _first_. Thanks!

**-----------------------------------**

_**Last time: **_

_The car next to them was dark green and had heavily tinted windows, so that you couldn't see inside of it. No one got out._

_A little freaked out, Harry climbed over and got out Draco's door, ignoring the raised eyebrow he got in response. "Okay, so you wanted help with your English essay?" Harry asked as they walked inside. "Yep," Draco replied. "That and spending time with you." _

_Draco smiled again as he got to Harry's blush for the third time that day._

_Just as they got to the door, a young man with fiery red hair came out, accompanied by a girl with bushy brown hair. The two teenagers stopped in their tracks, as did Harry. After a few minutes of staring, in which Draco stepped slightly closer to Harry, the red-haired boy seemed to snap out of it, stepping up to Harry in shock. "Harry?" he asked with a slightly dazed expression. "Is that you?"_

--------------------------------------

**Chapter 6: With Truth on the Shores of Confession**

Harry kept staring for a few more moments, trying to wish himself out of existence. How in the world did they end up here, of all places? They lived on the other side of town, which had it's own library. Harry would know, as Hermione had dragged them there on numerous occasions. So why were they here, at this library, where Harry just happened to be? It was too weird.

He shook his head, clearing it before nodding. "Of c-course it's me. Who else would it be?" he said quietly, so that everyone had to strain to hear him. Hermione gasped and ran to hug him, but Harry flinched away violently. Everyone froze, except Harry, who was shaking like mad. "Come on Harry," Draco said quietly, gently steering Harry into the library by his elbow. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Harry just nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Draco watched him closely, looking for anything that would contradict Harry's nod, but found none, except for a slight shaking, which he didn't comment on. He smiled softly at him. "Well, aren't you going to introduce us?" he asked. Harry smiled at him, silently thanking him for bringing down the tension. "Well," he started, "The girl with all the hair is Hermione, and the red-head is Ron. They-uh- they went to my old school."

Draco smiled up at them. "Draco Malfoy," he said, holding his hand out to them. Hermione blushed and rushed to shake his hand, causing Ron to frown at her. Harry giggled. "Oh don't worry Ron. Draco isn't going to steal her away. He's gay." Ron raised his eyebrow at him. Being best friends meant talking to each other about _anything._ Harry's sexuality being one of them. He had told Ron how he thought he might fancy guys, and Ron had taken it well.

Harry saw Ron's eyebrow and looked away, refusing to meet the red-head's eyes. He prayed Ron wouldn't say anything. While he _might _have the tiniest crush on Draco Malfoy, it was too soon for that. He wasn't ready. Thankfully, Ron must have known he didn't want to talk about it, because he didn't say anything.

"So-uh-why don't we get a table and sit down?" asked Draco, trying to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation. "Sure," said Harry, more than a little uncomfortable. The two of them headedfor the back of thelibrary where the tables wereand Ron and Hermione followed after them, wanting to find out why their friend had switched schools and just left them so suddenly.

Harry sat down at a table in the back corner of the library so that they could talk without getting yelled at. He knew that since his two friends were here he'd have to tell them something. And Draco was probably curious as well by now. This was going to be a long day.

-------------------------------

Draco sat down at the table next to Harry and across from Harry's two friends, Ron and Hermione. Harry was right, Draco _was _curious to why Harry would choose to go another school when he had obviously been very close to these two. It was more than a little confusing.

He turned in his seat and looked at Harry, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. Draco was getting a little worried. Whatever happened must have been pretty bad to make Harry look like that. He could tell that Ron and Hermione were also worried as they stared at their friend.

He looked back at Harry as he sighed. "Well, um, I suppose you want to know what happened." They all nodded. Harry sighed again and buried his head in his arms. When he lifted his head again he just stared at them for a minute. "I guess you can know. But you have to not to tell! I switched schools because I didn't want anyone to know. You can't tell!" Draco watched as Harry became a little hysterical. He held his hands up. "Okay, okay, we promise we won't tell anyone, right?" he said looking at the other two occupants of the table. They nodded.

They were all shocked when Harry got up and walked away. They watched as he dug through the bin where all the past newspapers where kept. He must have found the one he was looking for because he grabbed one and walked back. He opened to it up to a certain page and tossed it at them. Draco walked around the table so that he could read it as well.

**16 Year Old Abducted**

**By Nick Schultz **

_**Yesterday while walking home, a 16 year boy was kidnapped while on his way home from school. He was found 8 hours later by a women walking her dog in an alley downtown. Questioning of authorities has uncovered that he was brutally beaten and then raped by his attackers. There were no witnesses and all that is known of the kidnappers is that one has blond hair and the other has red hair. The attackers are still at large. Any one with any information concerning this matter is urged to call the police immediately. No names have been given at this time.**_

Draco, Ron, and Hermione all looked up at Harry in shock. Harry was still sitting across from them with his head in his arms. Draco slowly walked around the table until he was standing next to Harry and put his hand on Harry's back gently. Harry flinched and looked up at him, his eyes a little red. Draco then slowly lowered himself until he was even with his new friend and then, still moving slowly as to not scare Harry, wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders. He felt Harry tense at first but gradually he relaxed and Draco could feel him crying softly into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Harry," he said softy into his ear. "You didn't deserve that." Harry just sniffed. "Harry," said Hermione softly, "that day your dad called to ask if we had seen you, that was because you had been _kidnapped_?" Harry nodded into Draco's shoulder, not wanting to leave his welcoming embrace just yet. Draco seemed to understand because he kept holding him, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "But why would someone want to do that to _you?_" Hermione asked. Harry just shrugged.

Ron was still staring at the newspaper as if he couldn't digest what he had just read. Because he couldn't. The idea that someone would do that to _his _friend was almost too much to take. This was the kind of thing you always heard about, but never thought could happen to you. Never in a million years would he have thought that someone close to him, his _best friend_, would be beaten and raped by two strangers. It just didn't happen.

Harry eventually pulled away from Draco and wiped his red eyes on the back of his hand. "Thanks," he whispered. Draco just smiled. "I-uh- I have t-to go to the ba-bathroom," Harry said. Before any of them could say a word he was running toward the bathroom.

"I can't believe anyone would do that to Harry. He's such a good kid." said Hermione. "Which is exactly why someone would," said Draco. Ron and Hermione both looked at him in surprise. "What? Don't tell me you've never noticed that Harry is hot? And adorable? That on top of the fact that he just screams innocence makes him the perfect for the sick perverts that do that sort of thing." Hermione looked towards the bathroom. "I guess you're right," she said. "But still. I wish they hadn't chosen Harry."

------------------------------

Meanwhile, Harry was standing in front of the mirror just staring at himself. He couldn't believe he had cried so much in front of them. Talk about looking weak. He turned on the water and splashed some on his face, trying to wash away the remnants of his crying. He was glad that the door could lock, giving him some privacy. He loved his friends, but he wanted to be alone for a while.

He couldn't believe that he had told them, or rather let them read, what had happened to him. But it was nice having some that weight off his chest. Keeping that secret had been tearing him apart. Now that they knew maybe they could help him get back to normal, which is what he really wanted. He just wanted to put this whole thing behind him for good.

Unfortunately fate had other plans.

He heard someone moving around in one of the stalls behind him. He hadn't realized anyone else had been in here. He moved towards the door, wanting to leave before the person saw him. He wasn't in the mood for having anybody ask him if he was alright. He reached for the door handle but stopped as a hand went over his mouth and he was pulled back against a hard body. He froze, and then his worst nightmare came to life as a voice whispered in his ear, "You're so pretty when you scream."

------------------------------------------

Draco was starting to get worried. Harry had been in the bathroom for a long time. He looked over at Ron and Hermione and saw that they were talking quietly to each other, most likely about Harry. He shifted in his seat, watching the bathroom door.

He finally decided to go check on Harry. He got up and walked toward the bathroom door. He stood their for a minute, listening. He didn't hear anything. He decided to try the door, but it was locked. "Shit," he muttered. "Harry?" he said louder. Nothing. "Harry? Are you in there? Open the door. I just want to talk to you. Harry?" He kept trying the door, but it wouldn't open. "Harry?" he was getting really worried now. He just about to go get someone with a key to open the door when he heard a scream. Harry's scream. "SHIT!"

------------------------------------------------

Harry couldn't move. He was paralyzed with fear. He could feel himself shaking. _Oh god no! Not again! _was the only thought running through his head. He felt himself spun around and slammed against the wall, hard. He thought a crack as his head hit the wall. He was definitely dizzy. He felt lips press hard against his own and thought he was going to be sick. He tried to turn his head away but the man grabbed his head and slapped him. "You don't move without my permission," he growled.

His hand was pressed against Harry's throat now, and Harry could feel his head getting heavier. He struggled to breathe but found he couldn't. He tried to move again and was hit again for his efforts. _Gotta get away._ The man was about to speak when they heard a knock on the door. "Shit," the man said and moved his hand so that it was over Harry's mouth again. Harry took the opportunity to take a deep breath through his nose.

"Harry?" came a voice from outside. "Harry? Are you in there? Open the door. I just want to talk to you. Harry?" They heard him try the door again. It was Draco! _He can help me,_ thought Harry. He made up his mind and quickly kneed the man in the crotch. As the man uncovered his mouth to grab his crotch, Harry screamed. Loud. The man quickly covered his mouth again, fury in his eyes. "SHIT!" they heard from the other side of the door, and then more banging and yelling. But Harry didn't hear it.

"No no no no no no," he was moaning, as the man was unbuttoning his pants. He could feel the tears coursing down his cheeks. "I told you that you are pretty when you scream. They already know I'm hear. Might as well make you scream some more," the man said in Harry's ear. Harry pressed his lips together tightly. He wouldn't scream. Not this time. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"I see you're not going to cooperate this time are you? No matter. I'll make you scream harder and louder then last time. I promise, _Harry._" he said, before grabbing Harry and spinning him around again. He slammed Harry into the wall again and as Harry's head hit the wall he felt the world spin again. The man had just slipped his fingers into the belt loops of Harry's jeans, his own jeans at his ankles already, and was about to pull them down when the door slammed open and people rushed in. Harry let out a sob of relief as the man was pulled off of him. He felt arms come around him again and knew that Draco was here and that Draco would keep him safe, at least for now.

And when Draco whispered in his ear that it was alright and that the man would never hurt him again, he could almost believe him.

Almost.

---------------------------------------------

Wow. Finally done. Yeah! As for why this is so late, my only excuse is life. With school and everything else, I haven't had much time to type. The only things I've written for a while have been essays, yeah. (not.) I'm in AP American History this year and it is a VERY time consuming class, so I won't be updating all that often. Sorry. I'm also in Honors English 3, which this semester is Advanced Composition, and that means essays, essays, essays. We've just started our first major paper. It's a persuasive paper on some controversial topic and I choose gay marriage. Guess which side I'm on. It'll be fun (kind of). So I'm very sorry about the lack of updates. The next thing I'll do is probably a chapter of Life, or Something Like It. Check my profile for my progress.

Please remember to review! It will make me update faster! I promise!

And the title of this chapter is from the song _Welcome Home _by **Coheed and Cambria.** Great song. Listen to it.


	7. Heads Up, Damage Control

_Chapter 7-Heads Up, Damage Control_

That evening, Harry was lying in his bed, trying not to listen to his parents and godparents talking about him. Very loudly. They were discussing what they were going to do: what to do to the guy from the library who had assaulted him, and what to do with him. Therapy? Counseling? Medicine? Fucking AA meetings? Harry put his pillow over his head, trying to block them out. Why couldn't they just ask him what he wanted to do? Put the bastard in jail, for one. And get left the hell alone.

They had done this last time, too. Constantly at his side, asking if he needed this, needed that? Did he need help getting to the fucking bathroom. Can you eat on your own? God. He was sick of it. The last therapist he had been to talked about emotions. Last time, he had felt like it the end of the world, like he would never be whole again. This time, he wanted to kill something.

A couple of hours ago, at the library, he hadn't been mad. He had been scared. He vaguely remembered clinging to Draco like he'd disappear if he didn't. Now, he tried to feel embarrassed, but couldn't. Thinking about Draco was helping to curb his anger, but now he felt... nothing.

And that was scarier than feeling angry.

You're supposed to feel angry or scared when something like this happens. At school, before, they had always heard these stories. Someone gets raped or attacked, they try to kill themselves or someone else. But did they feel nothing at all? After the first time, when they had actually done something, rather than what happened at the library, he had understood those stories. He understood wanting to kill yourself, just to get away from the pain and all the fucking pity. He also understood wanting to kill them, those pitiful, disgusting, wastes of space, for the heinous things they did. They didn't deserve to live.

But now, he didn't want to do either of those. All he wanted to do was lay in this bed for the rest of his life. But at the same time, he didn't.

God it was confusing.

What did he want?

And all at once, he knew.

It was raining outside, but Harry didn't care. Harry was sitting on a swing at the park that he and Ron and Hermione had spent many summer days in their childhood at. He could still remember trying to see-saw with three people, or taking turns pushing these very swings or even sliding down the muddy hill behind the park after it had rained.

Normal.

That was what he wanted. No more sick, twisted perverts trying to take advantage of him, or family that too effing constricting. Nothing but peace and quiet, and the comforting sound of the rain falling around him. Cleaning the ground, and maybe him as well.

He'd been out here for a couple hours at least. He knew his parents were either going crazy looking for him, or they knew where he was and were still going crazy with worry over his "well being." Either way, still the same.

He heard the foot steps squishing on the wet ground before he saw the white shoes in his line of vision. He heard the swing rattle as someone sat down, and the scrunch of the parka.

"Hey." That was it. No, "how are you?" or "are you okay?" just... "hey."

Normal.

"You know," the voice went on, "I used to come here all the time when I was little. There is a park closer to my house, but this once was a lot more fun. More stuff to do." Harry nodded. "Me too. Me and Ron and Hermione would come here all the time as kids. Sometimes me and Ron would come alone, 'cause Hermione is a girl and it wasn't 'cool' to be seen with her." _He _laughed. "It was the same with Pansy. Me and Blaise didn't want cooties or anything. But she took it well, starting all these "No boys Allowed!" with all of her other girl friends."

Harry smiled at Draco. "Thanks for coming," he said softly. "Hey, no problem. I had nothing to do, other than clean with my mom. I just her I had to go and ran out the door. It's not like anything was messy. It's _never _messy. My mom's just a freak." Harry laughed, and it was real, not fake, not anymore. "Yeah, unlike yours, my house really does get messy. It used to be worse, when Ron came over all the time. The guy is a slob. Never picks up anything. But he was like my brother, so my mom made him help us clean the house."

Draco smiled, happy for making Harry laugh. Then he noticed that he was shivering. "You should go inside now, Harry. You're shaking." Harry looked up at him, his eyes wide. "I- I don't- I can't go home. Not now. My parents are being all... weird, again. And I just can't handle it." Draco looked at him, shaking, holding his arms to his chest, and looking at him with big, pleading eyes, and he melted. "Then come to my house. But you can't stay out in the rain, Harry. You'll catch something." He stood up, and pulled Harry with him. "Come on. We'll call Blaise and Pansy, and maybe even Ron and Hermione, if you want, and we'll have a movie night. I haven't had one of those in a long time."

He was pulling Harry along, when suddenly Harry pulled him to a stop. He turned around to face him, making sure to keep a little distance between them. "Thanks," Harry said, a small smile on his face. And then Draco couldn't help it. He walked up to Harry and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Anytime."

Harry's hand flew to his face where Draco had kissed him. His eyes were wide with shock and Draco prayed he hadn't been to forward and messed it up. Then, to Draco's great relief, Harry gave him that small smile again, but this one had a hint of shyness to it. "I- uh- I -um- I do like you... you know. Like, _like_ you..." Harry trailed off, looking at the ground and blushing. Draco thought his heart might just explode with everything he was feeling. "Yeah, I know." Lie. He had hoped, but now that he knew, he wasn't going to make a big deal out of this. For Harry's sake. But when he was alone... "I like you too, you know." Harry smiled again. "Yeah. But-" he paused.

"It's too soon," Draco finished for him. "Yeah," Harry said softly. And then he completely surprised Draco, so much that he almost fell over in shock. He walked up to Draco and placed a soft, gentle kiss right on his lips. "Come on," he said. "We have movies to watch."

It was close to three in the morning and no one was showing any signs of going to sleep. Harry, Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Hermione, and Ron were all lounging around Draco's spacious basement, eating pizza and playing ridiculous games. They had already watching 4 movies, the last one being Aladdin, Harry's favorite Disney movie, and they were now a messed up version of Scrabble. There were no rules, and they didn't even have to be real words, much to Hermione's discomfort, so needless to say, things were getting pretty funny. Harry and Draco had opted not to play, and they were sitting on the comfy, white couch cuddled under a blanket, watching the game progress. Everyone had noticed, but no one said anything.

Harry and Draco had come to an unspoken agreement. They both liked each other, so there was no reason to hide it, but they wouldn't do anything that Harry was uncomfortable with. Which, at the moment, happened to be a lot. But cuddling was something he was perfectly fine with, as was the way Draco was playing with his hand under the blanket. He rested his head against Draco's shoulder and decided to just think.

So much had changed.

This time four months ago, he would have been with either Ron or Hermione or both, hanging out and goofing off. This time three months ago, or two months ago or even just last month, he would have been laying in his bed crying or just being depressed.

And here he was, in a boy he had just recently met's basement, with his old friends and his new friends, just... hanging out.

It was weird, it was different, and it was good.

Normal.

Okay, maybe cuddling up with another boy under a blanket wasn't so normal, but it felt _right_ to him, and it was as close to normal as he could ever get.

So it would do.

Narcissa Malfoy came down to get everyone to go to sleep. It was Monday tomorrow but it was some holiday that they got off, so no school. Draco pulled him down so that they were both laying on the couch, Harry was more on Draco than the couch, but he didn't mind. Draco's came over and smiled at him, pulling the blanket on them, and running her hand through Harry's hair. And still, Harry didn't mind.

As she turned out the light and he heard everyone shifting around to get comfortable, and Draco's arms tightened around him a little bit; Harry knew that with morning would come more talks and more feelings and all that uncomfortable stuff. Like last time. But right now, in this moment, encircled in Draco's arms and listening to the breathing of everyone around him, he knew that, for know, everything could be alright.

For now.

"_Tell me that you're alright, yeah everything is alright."_


End file.
